To Make A Cappen Soup

This recipe comes from an early 18th-century English manuscript, penned by Margaret Eyre around 1709. The dish reflects a time when capons—castrated, fattened cockerels—were a luxury ingredient gracing aristocratic and gentry tables. The generous use of veal, marrow, and sweet herbs creates a rich, restorative broth, while toasted bread rolls stand in for later croutons or dumplings. Such soups were both comforting and extravagant, suited for the hospitality of wealthy households. The use of chestnuts inside the capons is a nod to traditional stuffing practices, adding sophistication and texture. Lemon juice at the finish brightens the palate—a culinary trend gaining popularity in English cookery at this time.

Eighteenth-century cooks would have relied on simple but sturdy equipment: an earthenware or metal pipkin (a kind of deep pot) for simmering the soup over a hearth fire, and a ladle for serving the broth. Bread would be sliced with a knife and dried at the fireside or in an oven. Skimming fat from the broth required a broad, flat spoon, while a wide dish (often a pewter or ceramic tureen) served as the final vessel for layering bread, meat, and stock.